By Staff
December 5th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
On the president-elect’s musings over Canada as 51st U.S. state, a mere 5% of Canadians are interested.
From Truth Social posts deriding the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, to this country’s fentanyl production and the resources allocated to monitoring what was once hailed as the globe’s “longest undefended border”, to dinners at Mar-a-Lago, followed by yet more Truth Social posts, this time featuring the Maple Leaf and … the Matterhorn … it has been a month of whiplash in the world of Canada-U.S. relations.
Immigrants crossing the border into Canada with police officer watching. Pillar is the International Boundary marker
The common denominator, of course, is American president-elect Donald Trump, and his threats of a whopping 25% tariff on all Canadian exports into the U.S, tied to various complaints about this country’s actions, or perceived lacks thereof, on defense spending, border security and the drug trade.
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds a high level of anxiety within the Canadian public when it comes to the threat and potential consequences. But Canadians stop short of asking the federal government to roll over and do entirely as Trump demands.
Overall, 86% say they’re concerned (44% “very concerned”) about the threat of tariffs from Trump. Asked how they feel the Trudeau government should approach these threats, however, half of Canadians say they prefer a hardline approach – that is, even if the tariffs are ultimately implemented, they do not feel Canada should let itself be bullied.
One in three would take a cautious approach to negotiations (33%), while one-in-10 would do whatever the U.S. demands to avoid being hit with the 25% tax on goods. Notably, the vast majority of that latter group is comprised of those who would support the Conservative Party if an election were held.
After Trudeau made his first trip to visit with Trump in his second go-round as president (though he won’t be inaugurated until January), Canadians are offering lower levels of confidence in his government than they did in 2017. At that time, 60% said they had confidence in the Trudeau government to handle Trump. Now 42% say the same.
One item spoken about by Trump and Trudeau,whether a joke or not, it is not something Canadians are willing to entertain. After Trump quipped that Canada could simply become the 51st American state to avoid any negatively impacting U.S. policies, just 5% of Canadians say they would like to see this country join the U.S.
Gordie Howe Bridge crossing the Detroit River. Maybe it shouldn’t be completed?
Fences make for good neighbours.
This is something we can all understand, my family who live in a rather affluent neighbourhood in the U.S. Experience a rather fenceless cohabitation with their neighbours, other family members who reside in the U.K. Not only have secure brick walls and iron gates but sophisticated security systems; my property in Burlington has had high fences with iron gates for many years, also the security systems in place are ten years old; security is a response to change, I never used to lock my car doors in the driveway, the front door was never locked and we used to sleep with the windows open in the summer; my family in the U.S. Did have fences installed eventually because they introduced two rather large rescue dogs to their family and the dogs were a possible threat to the neighbours; Canda’s neighbours to the South have now demanded we do something, or else.
On the day of this Gazette article, I read a Leger Survey, on Trump’s Proposed Tariffs on Canadian Imports.
Some of the key highlights were as follows.
Eight in ten Canadians (79%) are concerned that Trump’s tariffs on Canadian products imported into the U.S. could result in higher inflation in Canada. Fewer than one-third of Canadians (31%) are confident in the Federal Government’s ability to manage the new U.S. President and his tariff policies effectively. Confidence is notably higher among Liberal voters (67%) but drops significantly among Conservative voters (19%).
Six in ten Canadians (58%) believe Canada should take significant steps to strengthen border security, while 29% feel that President-elect Trump’s concerns about illegal immigration and drug trafficking are unwarranted. Conservative voters (77%) are particularly likely to support increased border security. The Methodology of this web survey was conducted from November 29 to December 1, 2024, with 1,532 Canadians aged 18 or older, randomly recruited from LEO’s online panel. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey.
What should be noted regarding these percentages is the fact the Liberals are polling at only 22%
Perceptions of Trump’s Proposed Tariffs & Issues with Border Security – Leger
It is hard to be a proud Canadian with the current government in power.
As indicated Canada has “all the resources to be an economic super power, water minerals, oil. Yet here we are in 2024 going hat in hand asking the future President of the United States to take pity on us and not impose a 25% trade tariff.
We should and can do much better.
Time for Change.
Self flagellation is at the heart of why someone may think we are better off becoming the 51st state, and it seems to have become a national sport. Is it any wonder. We have all the resources to be an economic super power, water minerals, oil, people. But here we are shipping our resources offshore or worse shutting them down. It wasnt always this way and it took a turn further south in 2015. Wake up Canada, be proud.